Re: Star Trek: Voyager: Children Of The Storm Review Thread
I wonder if those Janeway fans who refuse to read anything set after Janeway's death have ever experienced a personal loss in their own lives. If they had, maybe they'd appreciate that it's possible to pay honor and tribute to someone even after they're gone, that they can still be a part of your life even if they aren't physically there. Maybe they'd understand that the grief and anger can't last forever, that loss is something that must eventually be accepted and coped with and integrated into your life as you move on. Janeway is a pervasive, influential presence throughout Unworthy and Children of the Storm. The books serve her character very well even though she isn't in them as a living person. I think these Janeway fans would appreciate the books if they allowed themselves to read them.
Yes, I have. And while yours is an interesting pop psychology theory it has nothing to do with the desire to read stories containing the Janeway character. Nice try though.
Kim, you are too kind here. "Interesting pop psychology theory"? This comment is much worse than that.
Actually, the poster has a pretty condescending attitude toward readers who miss Janeway. He wonders if we have ever experienced a personal loss in our lives. Really? Is he implying that we are too young, too inexperienced, or just too stupid to understand how people continue to influence others after their deaths?
He implies that we are unfamiliar with the stages of grief that Voyager’s crew has gone through. Does he think that we are too uneducated to be familiar with Kubler-Ross’s excellent work on the subject? Honestly, I much prefer to learn about it from her writing than some Trek novel, thank you very much.
He suggests that we should be satisfied with Janeway’s “influence” on her crew as an adequate substitute for her presence as a living, breathing character in the novel. That suggestion is beneath contempt.
Finally, he seems to think that the refusal to read these novels as some sort of judgment on the quality of the writing, which is hardly the case. I’ve enjoyed Beyer’s writing in the past, and I’m upset that once Voyager finally hires someone who understands the characters (and maybe even watched the series), she is handicapped because of a poor, even frivolous editorial decision to send Janeway off to the Q Continuum in a poorly-written TNG novel.
How refreshing it would be to have PB and their writers admit that the Janeway “death” in “Before Dishonor” was a big mistake instead of having to endure this woefully inadequate lecturing about life and death and the "meaning" of grief. How tiresome it is to get the PB party line over and over again, with a strong dose of condescension on the side. Instead of criticizing unhappy, loyal readers, instead of bemoaning their complaints, how about sympathizing with them for having been deprived of the chance to read novels that include Voyager’s most popular character, alive and well?
